Dowry – The Perennial Curse In Indian Marriages

In India, dowry refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the bridegroom, his parents, or his relatives as a condition of the marriage. It is one of the worst evils of Indian marriages. It is a custom that is prevalent in all the sections of our society in one form or the other. At the beginning it was voluntary, but later on the social pressure was such that very few could escape from it. EXIN Shagoon stands up against this evil practice and encourages to abolish it from its root.

The dowry system is puts great financial burden on the bride's family. It leads to crime against women, ranging from emotional abuse, injury to even deaths. The payment of dowry has been prohibited under specific Indian laws including, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The first all-India legislative enactment relating to dowry to be put on the statute book was the The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and this legislation came into force from July 1, 1961. Although providing dowry is illegal, it is still common in many parts of India for a husband to seek a dowry from the wife's family and in some cases, it results in the form of extortion and violence against the wife. 

To further strengthen the anti-dowry law and to stop offences of cruelty by the husband or his relatives against the wife, new provisions were added to the Indian criminal law — section 498A to IPC and section 198A to the Criminal Procedure Code in 1983. In 2005, the, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was passed, which added an additional layer of protection from dowry harassment.

Although the essence of origin of dowry is subjected to debate, but the condition it has come down to in today’s time, it is truly inhuman in nature. After all, a marriage is the union of two individuals, it is not a barter system.